Most charming, resilient and brave people on the planet, by the British Ambassador in Burma

By MARK CANNING

Last updated at 23:38 10 May 2008

It has been just five days since I flew back into Rangoon with my wife and our four-year-old daughter. But it seems like a lifetime.

The scene that met us in the wake of the cyclone was extraordinary.

Barely a tree was standing, debris was everywhere, power and water were gone.

Buildings had lost their roofs, and all around were people trying to pull their lives together.

We found the Embassy intact, but badly damaged by flooding. Our radio mast – a vital link to the outside world in one of the most isolated nations on Earth – was ripped from the roof.

Colleagues told harrowing stories of sheltering with their children in the darkness as enormous trees came crashing to the ground.

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Flooded: A street in Rangoon in the wake of the devastating cyclone

But we knew what we saw in central Rangoon, where buildings are sturdy, would be nothing compared to the rest of Burma.

Although there were initial reports of up to 17 British casualties, we were soon able to determine all were safe.

Our 80 Burmese staff were all accounted for but had terrible tales: houses destroyed, friends and relatives lost – yet their response has been magnificent.

One of our security guards walked four hours through the teeth of the cyclone and flying debris to take up his post. Many were back at work days later despite having lost their homes.

They must be among the most charming, brave and resilient people on Earth and whatever impact there has been on us pales beside what they have been through.

The city is creaking back into something approaching normal, but a few miles out, the picture becomes rapidly worse – communities destroyed, shattered people wondering what they did to deserve this.

Further into the delta, the picture gets more disturbing: a devastated and flooded landscape littered with the carcasses of animals and people, survivors crouching on their haunches by the roadside with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

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Deluged: Satellite photos show a village 16 miles south of Rangoon in 2002 and this week

The true scale of this tragedy is still unfolding. The number of people dead and missing stands at around 100,000 but with up to 1.5million survivors said to be vulnerable, those figures are likely to escalate fast.

This is a humanitarian crisis unparalleled since the 2004 Asian tsunami.

The UK Government quickly contributed £5 million to the relief effort.

The priority is getting supplies and workers to where they are needed, and huge effort is being put in to pressing the Burmese authorities to enable this.

Some supplies are getting in, but far too few, and not fast enough.

We are working around the clock to do what we can to help. We are more than conscious, however, that time is short.

Aid organisations would welcome your donations. They are not only desperately needed, but would be put to excellent use.